There is tension in Delta State over the emergence of the three senatorial candidates to be chosen Monday.
They will be selected either through consensus or direct primaries, and either way may make or mar the political destiny of the state.
Tomorrow, Delta State will be on the horns of a dilemma as the ruling APC conducts its primaries, a defining moment in the political history and transformation of the state.
In Delta North, the race is between Senator Ned Nwoko and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, just as residents are asking why Okowa should return to the Senate after serving eight years as state governor while his daughter is in the House of Assembly.
Their belief is that Senator Ned Nwoko has justified his more than three years in the Senate, but the body language of party leaders suggests that Okowa will get the ticket.
“The problem with Ned Nwoko is the Okpai IPP Stepdown. He pointedly told the governor why the Okpai IPP Stepdown was necessary. But Okowa and Governor Oborevwori had different ideas.
“If there is still a window for defection, Ned Nwoko can go to another party and could win the general election,” a resident advised.
In the case of Delta Central Senatorial District, the race is between Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Senator Ede Dafinone.
“Omo-Agege contested the 2023 governorship election when PDP was in vogue. During the locust years of APC in Delta State, he was the man who placed his life on the line for the party. It was with the strength of that political structure that Omo-Agege helped Ede Dafinone to the Senate.
“Today, Dafinone is repaying Omo-Agege with ingratitude. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Dafinone are from the same Okpe stock of the Urhobo nation. If it were direct primaries, Omo-Agege would defeat Dafinone.
“But under the consensus arrangement, Dafinone may emerge as the APC candidate. If Omo-Agege goes to another party for the general election, Dafinone would be no match for him,” sources confirmed.
It is only in the Delta South senatorial race that a semblance of peace and sanity appears likely to prevail, as Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas is expected to coast to victory.
“The people of Delta South Senatorial District are happy with his performance so far. The Ijaws are backing the Isokos, hoping that after Oborevwori’s second term, the Ijaws will produce the next governor,” another source stated.